Web 2.0 Copywriting – The Do’s And Duh’s Of Interactive Writing

Everybody knows that words are powerful. They were powerful before the internet, and now they’re so powerful that you can write a sales letter that makes a million dollars in product sales in 1 hour. But trends are happening, the writing industry is changing, and you NEED to realize that if you don’t keep up, you’re going to be trampled by the collective intellect of those writers who are developing more interactive ways of communicating.
There’s a Herculean difference between a copywriter, and a web 2.0 copywriter. The gap is growing larger with each passing second. Social media has transformed the Internet virtually overnight, and people are starting to notice it.
Hardcore sales letters are not working anymore.
Impersonal email advertising is circling the sink.
Boring web copy is left stagnant on the page.
It’s all about creating writing that is interactive, engaging and compelling. Dan Kennedy knew it with his ‘no bull’ approach to sales. Brian Clark knew it when he created Copyblogger. There just hasn’t been an appropriate term for it until now. Web 2.0 copywriting is where it’s all heading, and you need to know how to do it.
Web 2.0 Copywriting: The Do’s Old Chap
• Word economy – Sounds like an old copywriting gem right? Well take another look, a really hard one at the writing industry. The copywriters getting all the work are the ones who can promote, sell and advertise things in very short, very convincing sentences. Adwords or Twitter for example. Make every word count. Do a bit of research on persuasive writing. Even the simplest articles these days need to say something, whether it be about the writer, the business or the product you’re promoting.
• Entertainment – People don’t want to be lectured, they want to be entertained. Instilling humor or wit into your copy goes a long way these days. A bland business website can be improved with selective insider humor. Web 2.0 copywriters know that subtle wit entertains. The more entertained your readers are the more likely they are to read on, and be persuaded by your pitch. Likeability, reputation and sales skyrocket when you entertain your readers.
• SEO – Every Tom, Dick and O’Mally thinks after a few short online articles they are an ‘expert’ SEO copywriter. Have you taken the time to study content optimization? Do you understand that ranking doesn’t mean ranking at the top of Google page 1? Aim higher. A web 2.0 copywriter can optimize anything -from an article, a web page, and a sales letter, to a Youtube video, a Facebook page and blog meta tags.
• Social Media – This one should be a given, but sadly there are still copywriters out there that don’t network. Interactive writing is based on one-on-one conversations with people you know – if you haven’t had any like that then its time you started.
• Headings and Subheadings – Its one thing to write a good heading, and quite another to write a fantastic heading. You’ll know because people will click on your article or page just to see what in Merlin’s beard you’re talking about. Learn to be more outgoing with your headings, and try new things. You’ll be surprised how a brilliant heading can keep an average article from going unnoticed.
• Clean, Readable Writing – Have you ever tried to read a paragraph that is a page long? Notice I say ‘tried to read’, because no one in their right mind is going to read book format online. The quickest way to ensure that your writing is being read is to make it easy to browse. Short 4-5 line paragraphs. Lots of subheadings. Use bold and italics where it counts. A great copywriter knows that they can still get their message across, even if the reader is browsing.
• Multimedia – Audio and video used in conjunction with copy is always stronger, especially in sales – and its essential that as an interactive writer you go the extra mile to entertain people. Use an appropriate marketing strategy to choose the right images, audio and video for your copy.
Web 2.0 Copywriting: The Duhs, Old Boot
• Never be repetitive. Ever. Ever.
• Spinning articles leads to bad writing. Bad writing leads to the dark side of sales. The dark side of sales leads to bankruptcy.
• Keyword stuffing is for chumps. People and Google can spot it a mile away.
• Word count is not a word limitation, it’s a creative opportunity. Fluff words are not interactive and therefore have no place in your writing.
• Inaccurate facts do nothing but discourage intelligent readers. Make sure that every detail you put in your copy is accurate.
• Don’t plagiarize. Not so much as a three word phrase.
• Formal writing tone has its place, but its not online.
• Your target audience whoever they may be, are not stupid. Please don’t treat them like they’ll fall for your old school, nonsense sales pitches.
• Don’t take on any work you find. Be selective about who you choose to write for, and you’ll enjoy your job a whole lot more.
Those are the basic building blocks of interactive writing. Web 2.0 copywriting is still so new that you have plenty of time to adjust. If you have any more ideas on what to do, or not do as a new age copywriter then by all means tell the world right here!